Twitter
Advertisement

Pak PM to file appeal next week against contempt conviction

Gilani's lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan and his team are drafting the appeal, sources were quoted as saying.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani will file an appeal in the Supreme Court next week against his conviction for contempt, challenging one of the charges in the judgement that he "ridiculed" the judiciary for striking down a graft amnesty, a media report said today.

Gilani's lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan and his team are drafting the appeal, the Daily Times quoted its sources as saying.

The main point in the appeal will be that "one of the charges in the judgement was not mentioned when Gilani was indicted in February," the sources said.

In the chargesheet, it was not mentioned that Gilani had ridiculed the apex court's December 2009 judgement striking down a graft amnesty that had benefited President Asif Ali Zardari and over 8,000 others.

But the court, in its judgement convicting the Premier on April 26, mentioned the word "ridicule".

The sources said Ahsan would also object to different parts of the court's detailed judgement and challenge an additional note written by Justice Asif Khosa, a member of the seven-judge bench that convicted Gilani.

Gilani was convicted for contempt for refusing to act on orders to revive graft cases in Switzerland against Zardari.

Gilani and his government have refused to act on the court's orders, saying the President enjoys complete immunity in Pakistan and abroad.

The Premier has rejected calls from the opposition to resign, saying only the Speaker of the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament can disqualify him.

A section of lawyers says that the Speaker will reject any proposal to disqualify the Premier.

Law Minister Farooq Naek has already said that Speaker Fehmida Mirza will decide Gilani's future and that the matter will be closed if she rules that the Premier cannot be disqualified.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement